Six Uighurs released from Guantanamo sent to Palau

Nov 1, 2009, 0:16 GMT

Washington - Six Chinese Uighurs who had been held at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp were released to the Pacific island nation of Palau on Saturday, the US Justice Department said.

The Chinese Muslims have been held at Guantanamo for years even though the Pentagon has declared they are not enemy combatants and are eligible for release.

The Obama administration has been seeking out third countries who can resettle the detainees as it tries to close the controversial prison on the remote US naval base in Cuba by the end of January.

'As we near the completion of our review of detainees at Guantanamo Bay, we will continue to work closely with the Department of State to implement transfer decisions, and we are grateful to the Republic of Palau for its assistance in the resettlement of these individuals,' Matthew Olsen, executive director of the Guantanamo review task force, said in a statment.

The US Supreme Court has agreed to hear appeals by the Uighurs still held at the remote military base in Cuba.

A federal judge in October 2008 ordered the government to release the Uighurs into the United States if other countries cannot be found, but that decision was later overturned by a higher court.

The United States transferred four of the detainees to Bermuda in June. Washington refuses to send the Uighurs back to China over concerns they will be abused.

More than 550 detainees have been transferred from Guantanamo to other countries.